Top Stories category, Page 615
‘Dream come true’: New Westmoreland Symphony executive director hopes to continue musical tradition
As Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra’s new executive director, Michael Rozell is most excited to be returning to his roots. Before teaching music for 32 years, Rozell, 55, of Monongahela went to school and lived in the Greensburg area for many years. “I remember as a college student sitting in the seats...
Under pressure over border, Biden administration to protect hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration said Wednesday that it was granting temporary legal status to hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans who are already in the country — quickly making them eligible to work — as it grapples with growing numbers of people fleeing the South American country and elsewhere to...
Man shot in Coraopolis
A man who was shot on Wednesday afternoon in Corapolis was hospitalized in critical condition, Allegheny County Police said. The victim, who was not identified, was found in the 500 block of Mount Vernon Avenue suffering from gunshot wounds, police said. The shooting was reported at about 5:30 p.m.. Allegheny...
Teen shot multiple times last month in Braddock now charged in the deaths of 2 others
The lone survivor in an incident in Braddock last month in which three teenagers were shot has been arrested and charging with killing the other two teens. Jerell Rockymore, 16, was found shot multiple times in a residence on Center Street after two other teens were found shot dead in...
Power station implosion in Springdale on hold as judge weighs injunction
The scheduled implosion of the boiler house at the Cheswick Generating Station in Springdale has been delayed as a judge continues to take testimony over a requested injunction to stop the demolition. The implosion of the building was scheduled for 8 a.m. Friday. However, 16 community residents filed a lawsuit...
Pa. Senate passes bill allowing more medical marijuana growers to sell directly to patients
The Pennsylvania Senate on Wednesday passed a bill that would allow all of the state’s medical marijuana growers and processors to sell their products directly to patients, with several senators speculating that the bill could — and should — become a vehicle for further opening up the commonwealth’s marijuana laws....
Innamorato, Rockey accuse each other of extreme politics
Sara Innamorato, the Democratic nominee for Allegheny County executive, is attacking her Republican opponent Joe Rockey, claiming he isn’t being upfront about his conservative support. Rockey, who has billed himself as a moderate and garnered some labor support, said Innamorato is lying and Innamorato is hiding her far left-wing history....
Laurel school board limits girls sports at its facilities to athletes with ‘XX chromosomes’
Citing concerns over safety and fairness, one WPIAL school district has adopted a gender policy that limits girls sports to biological females. The school board at Laurel unanimously approved the new policy, which bases gender on a student’s chromosomes. The rule applies to any sports contest hosted at Laurel’s facilities,...
More cuts planned at deficit-plagued West Virginia University
West Virginia University Libraries, already hit this year with a 30% cut in its operating budget, now faces up to $800,000 in personnel cuts under measures announced Wednesday to shore up the university’s deficit-plagued finances. The action is outlined in one of the letters delivered by the provost’s office to...
Teen jailed after ransacking North Side house, stabbing resident twice in the neck
A teenager remained in Allegheny County Jail on Wednesday after, police said, he ransacked a North Side home in search of a gun and twice stabbed the resident before leaving only with a baseball cap. Isreal Moseby, 17, whose home address was not listed in court records, approached and talked...
Pitt’s plan for a $250M biomanufacturing facility in Hazelwood moves forward
The University of Pittsburgh has received approval from the city’s Planning Commission to build a biomanufacturing facility in Hazelwood. The $250 million facility will serve as a cell and gene therapy innovation hub in the Hazelwood Green development along the Monongahela River. University officials have said about three-quarters of the...
John Fetterman offers to wear suit in Senate if House ‘jagoffs’ avoid government shutdown
As chaos within the Republican ranks of the GOP-controlled U.S. House pushes the federal government closer to a shutdown, Democratic Sen. John Fetterman has offered the opposition a sartorial olive branch. On Wednesday, Fetterman, who has been the target of Republican attacks over his insistence on wearing shorts and hoodies...
Pennsylvania’s Senate wants an earlier 2024 presidential primary, partly to have a say on nominees
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s state Senate approved a bill Wednesday to move up the state’s 2024 primary election by five weeks to March 19, aiming to avoid a conflict with the Jewish holiday of Passover and give voters more of a say in deciding presidential nominees. The bill passed, 45-2, although...
4 free covid tests to be available, federal department says
A program that previously mailed free covid tests to households across the country will restart on Monday, allowing people to order another set of at-home tests for free, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. “Beginning Sept. 25, every U.S. household can again place an order to receive...
Allegheny Township taps new emergency coordinator, accepts police chief’s resignation
Allegheny Township filled one of its vacant public safety positions and will begin to advertise for another one. The supervisors appointed Matt Johnston, 29, of Allegheny Township as the township’s emergency management coordinator. The board also accepted the resignation of police Chief Duane Fisher, who will become the police chief...
Oakmont woman gets life in prison for starvation, torture death of 3-year-old girl
No one was there. No one sat in the courtroom gallery wearing shirts that read “Justice for Bella.” No one told the judge what a great 3-year-old that Bella Seachrist was. How she loved to dance and would eat anything. How she was a giggly, bubbly, playful and loving child....
Western Pennsylvania school districts receive email swatting threats
Several Western Pennsylvania school districts were the target of swatting emails this week, authorities said. They included Mt. Lebanon, North Allegheny, Pine-Richland and South Park in Allegheny County and Belle Vernon and Derry Area in Westmoreland County. The school districts reported receiving threatening messages via email on Tuesday and Wednesday....
Release of suspect in $1.6M drug case ignites political firestorm in Allegheny County
Allegheny County court officials are still trying to figure out how a man accused of carrying $1.6 million in fentanyl in Pittsburgh was released from custody this month, and now another judge is reportedly involved in the snafu. A nationwide arrest warrant was issued for Yan Carlos Pichardo Cepeda, 27,...
SportsNet Pittsburgh names 4 former players as analysts for Penguins games
SportsNet Pittsburgh, the new television network that will carry Penguins games, hired four former members of the team to be analysts for the upcoming season. Colby Armstrong, Phil Bourque, Jay Caulfield and Mike Rupp were named to various positions. Armstrong and Rupp will be in-game color and studio analysts while...
House Republicans clash with Attorney General Garland, accusing him of favoring Hunter Biden
WASHINGTON — House Republicans clashed with Attorney General Merrick Garland on Wednesday, accusing him and the Justice Department of the “weaponization” of the department’s work in favor of President Joe Biden ‘s son Hunter. Garland’s appearance before the House Judiciary Committee was his first in two years and came at...
Serra Catholic student killed in school van crash in Dravosburg
A 15-year-old girl was killed Wednesday in a school van crash in Dravosburg, authorities said. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the girl as Samantha Lee Kalkbrenner of Dravosburg. Three other juveniles, all students at Serra Catholic High School in McKeesport, were injured and taken to a hospital in...
1 killed in Route 819 crash in Greensburg
It appears speed and drugs were factors in a fatal head-on crash Wednesday morning in Greensburg, according to the Westmoreland County Coroner’s Office. Robert J. Glendening, 37, of Hempfield was driving a Chevrolet Cruze southbound in the northbound lane of Route 819 just before 6 a.m. when the car collided...
Morning Roundup: 2 hurt in garbage truck crash in Overbrook; vandalism in Squirrel Hill; 2 shot in Mt. Oliver
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Wednesday, Sept. 20: 2 injured after garbage truck crashes in Overbrook Two people were reported injured when a garbage truck crashed Tuesday in Pittsburgh’s Overbrook neighborhood. Surveillance video showed the truck traveling down a hill before hitting several vehicles...
Blood donations fall short by two-thirds in region, nonprofit says
Blood collection organizations say donations are down at least 25% — a trend they’ve been unable to break since the pandemic. The American Red Cross announced a national blood shortage last week upon receiving 30,000 fewer donations than expected in August. That’s a 25% decrease from the 12,500 donations it...
Westmoreland 250: 10 things to see in the Arnold, New Kensington areas
(Editor’s note: To mark Westmoreland County’s 250th birthday this year, we’ve come up with a list of 250 things — 10 things in 25 communities — that we consider to be important to the makeup of our area. This series will appear each week through December. If you have a...
